Asparagus and Roasted Salmon Sheet Pan Dinners

You might be noticing a pattern in the dinners I have been posting about. Sheet Pan dinners are the perfect way to feed my family and limit the amount of clean up left for me after dinner. Finding a combination of protein and veggies that will cook at the same time is key to a successful sheet pan meals. Roasted salmon and asparagus is the perfect dinner to serve your family on a weeknight yet elegant enough to serve guests for a dinner party. No matter what the occasion the result is the same, a seamless dinner in the table in 30 minutes.

A lot of restaurants serve nut encrusted fish on their menus. You would not believe how easy this is to do at home. Plus you don’t have to worry about turning a delicate piece of fish over since the salmon roasts perfectly on a sheet pan. Be sure you place a layer of tin foil on your sheet pan for even easier clean up… no one wants to scrape off fish scales on a pan.

For this recipe, I picked out the medium sized asparagus. If too thin they will be burnt and if too large, they will only be slightly cooked thru. Experiment with other veggies just be sure to adjust the size of each piece depending on the length of cooking time needed for the protein. If you wanted to make potatoes, for example, if you did not cut them up in quarters, you could bake them and then add the salmon towards the end. Either way, this is a basic recipe idea that can be changed for your tastes.

Simply adding olive oil and kosher salt to the asparagus is all that is needed since the roasting boosts the flavor.

This dish is ready to hit the oven. If you want to prep this earlier in the day, I would just tightly cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it back into the fridge until you were ready to cook. This makes it the perfect food to entertain with as make-ahead meals for a crowd is always a bonus.

The salmon is perfectly roasted and the asparagus is ready to go as well. This is all you need for a fancier sheet pan dinner. Serve this with rolls or mashed potatoes if you feel the need for a starch

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450°F. Stir together pistachios, mustard, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Place salmon on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spoon pistachio mixture on top of salmon; pat into an even layer.

Prepare asparagus by placing them on the sheet pan and drizzling 2 tablespoons of olive oil on them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat evenly.

Bake at 450°F for 15 to 16 minutes. This will vary on the thickness of steaks.